Usually, there are slots in the washing machine made specifically to add the detergent. These are available in almost all the high-efficiency and front load machines. However, such detergent dispensers are missing in old and some new washers. In this case, do I have to pour the detergent on clothes?
No. Liquid or any other type of detergent should never be poured on clothes as it can lead to staining. Moreover, the detergent does not dissolve completely and forms a film on the clothes.
Then what is the correct method to pour liquid detergent if a washing machine lacks a detergent dispenser? You will find the answer to this question in this article. Interested to know? Stick to the end.
Can I Pour Liquid Detergent on Clothes?
Liquid detergent is never poured on the clothes. The right method is to fill it carefully in the detergent dispenser. The detergent dispensers are found in all the high-efficiency and traditional front-loading washing machines.
The dispenser can be missing from your machine. If it is so, it must be an old washing machine, or it is top-loading.
What to do Instead?
In case there is no dispenser in the washing machine, you should fill the drum with water first. After that, pour the liquid detergent into a measuring cup to measure the correct amount of detergent. Pour the correctly measured detergent into the water. This helps in the even distribution of detergent throughout the washing machine.
After that, you can add the clothes to the washing machine. This way, you can protect your clothes from getting stained due to the uneven distribution of laundry detergent.
The same steps can be taken for powdered laundry detergents—water, detergent, and then clothes. If you have a front-load washing machine without a detergent dispenser, you don’t need to worry. You can do the same steps in this type of washing machine as well.
Is it Necessary to Use Liquid Laundry Detergent?
No, it is not necessary to use liquid laundry detergent. In fact, you can completely skip detergent and use a better alternative. Laundry detergent contains enzymes for removing dirt from the clothes. As a result, the clothes turn out clean and bright. If you think your clothes are not dirty, you can simply skip the detergent and wash the clothes merely with water.
Read More: Laundry Detergent: Before or After Clothes?
Cons of Pouring Liquid Detergent Directly on the Clothes
Potentially there are no pros for pouring liquid detergent on the clothes. However, there are several disadvantages, which you should consider before doing this.
Staining
First and foremost – staining. It is the worst thing that can happen to your clothes. When you pour the detergent directly on the clothes, the detergent does not completely dissolve in water. Rather, it stays on the cloth.
As the detergent stays on cloth for a longer time, the detergent starts forming stains. These stains can be of different colors and different types. Liquid detergents are concentrated. The more the detergent is concentrated, the more caustic it will be. If the detergent is too much concentrated, you should not pour it directly on the clothes.
How to Prevent Staining?
The solution is simple. Do not pour the detergent after the clothes. Make sure to completely dissolve the detergent in water before adding clothes to it. It doesn’t matter whether you are using a powdered detergent or the liquid one; the technique works best for both types of laundry detergent.
Do Stains Go Away Easily?
The stains formed due to detergent don’t stay long if you act quickly to remove them. There are several simple ways in which you can get rid of these stains.
If you have mistakenly added the liquid detergent on the top of clothes, you can run an extra rinse cycle to remove the stains. Since these stains formed due to detergent are not stubborn, an extra rinse cycle is enough to remove them.
In case the stain formed due to pretreatment, there is another solution for it. In a tub full of water, add about a cup of vinegar. Add the affected cloth to the tub. Rub the stain for a while and then leave it for 5 to 10 minutes. It will loosen the detergent and then get removed easily.
Read More: What Are These Blue Stains on My Washed Clothes?
Residue Formation
Undissolved detergent leads to the formation of residues. The residue formation is higher in the case of powdered laundry detergent. These residues can be really harmful to the washing machine. Residues tend to block the holes in the washer that can lead to bigger damage over time.
The only solution to this problem is to dissolve the detergent directly in the water. Leaving it on clothes can be damaging both for the washing machine and clothes.
Read More: Is Liquid Detergent Bad for Washing Machine?
Correct Method of Pouring Liquid Detergent
How I personally do laundry step-by-step would be really helpful to you. In case you have any other confusions, they will be cleared out here.
- Begin with opening the water in the washing machine drum. Let the water run until the bottom of the drum gets filled with a good amount of water.
- This step is really important, so you need to be a bit cautious. Pour the liquid detergent in the measuring cup or in the cap of the detergent bottle. Do not add more than the needed amount.
- Now is the time to pour the detergent into the drum. Instead of adding it directly to the drum, you can hold the cap in front of the water stream. This ensures that detergent has been mixed completely with water.
- Do not wait for the washing machine to get filled. You can start putting the clothes in it right after adding the detergent. As the detergent has been dissolved completely, there is no fear of getting the clothes stained.
- This step is completely optional, but if you like some extra freshness and softness, you can add fabric softener to the washing machine at this point.
Rest assured, you will not see stains on your clothes due to detergent if you stick to this method.
Other Do’s and Don’ts
Do: Measure Detergent
This is something we all skip, even though we know how important it is to measure detergent before adding. Detergent can be disastrous to your clothes and washing machine if not used in the correct amount.
Overdosing of detergent can lead to suds and stains formation. If you add less detergent, the clothes will not get cleaned effectively.
Do: Purchase Quality Detergent
The effectiveness of the detergents varies due to different formulations. The best detergent would be the one containing the best enzymes and the right amount of surfactants. These two ingredients decide how good the detergent is.
Therefore, make a wise decision and stick to it. You need to be careful while reading the label. In the beginning, try different brands. Stick to the one that gives the best results.
Do: Separate Clothes According to Color
Dye transfer is a huge problem that many people face. Clothes of different colors cling together in the washing machine. As a result, lighter clothes easily take the color of the darker ones.
This can be prevented by carefully separating the clothes according to color before putting them in the washing machine. Make sure to keep the whites completely separated from the rest of the clothes. If you see a certain cloth bleeding too much, you should wash it separately.
Don’t: Add Bleach Directly
Bleach is made of stronger chemicals when compared to detergent. As detergent can be damaging to the clothes, bleach can be even worse if poured directly. Quick damage to the fiber of clothes can occur due to bleach. As bleach does not get the time to get diluted, the strong formula quickly acts on the clothes, resulting in great damage.
Don’t: Overload the Machine.
It seems a good idea to stuff all the clothes at once in the washing machine and get rid of work quickly. The idea is nice, but you might be unaware of the aftermaths of this act.
In order to get the clothes washed perfectly, they need to circulate in the soapy water in the washing machine. This helps in catching and kicking away all the dirt from the clothes. But when you stuff the machine with laundry, the clothes do not get enough space to circulate; they remain stuck at the same place. This results in improper washed clothes and dirty laundry.
Sometimes overloading goes bad for the washing machine. Due to overburdening, different parts of the washing machine start deteriorating over time, leading to bigger damage.
In Conclusion
It is a really bad idea to pour liquid detergent on the top of clothes. In fact, you should not add powdered detergent to the clothes as well. This can destroy both your clothes and the washing machine.
The correct method is to add the detergent to the dispenser. If there is no dispenser, then you should mix the detergent in water and then add the clothes. This will bring clean results and save your appliance.